CLEVELAND — Nearly two hundred thousand Ohioans use the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for their health insurance, but because of the pandemic and huge job losses, that number may have increased significantly.
Not only is the newly-passed American Rescue Plan providing stimulus checks, but it also contains a $34 billion dollar expansion to the ACA, the biggest change since Obamacare passed in 2010.
If you use the federal marketplace, the website known as healthcare.gov, you should definitely check your coverage. There's a chance you may now qualify or have a bigger subsidy waiting for you. Tim McNichols of LIG Solutions says the qualifications have changed and more people should be eligible.
COBRA is the insurance you can get if you had employer provider insurance but then lost your job. But it means you have to pay the whole bill. Now there's help.
"You can apply and the federal government will cover six months, but that may not be your best deal, you should still check the marketplace," McNichols says.
You now have until May 15th to sign up for a new plan or make changes to your old one. You can do it yourself at healthcare.gov or find a licensed insurance broker to help you. Either way, it might help ease the pain in your wallet.
- Find a licensed agent here: Ohio Department of Insurance Licensed Agency locator
- Tim McNichols – LIG Solutions 866.230.0222 www.ligsolutions.com
You can check out more of Monica's conversation with Tim McNichols in the player below:
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